Product Description

When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she’s devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself—the creator of the world—she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?

At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #463305 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 437 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399246302
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Magpie, granddaughter of the West Wind, is born of dreams. When Humans—"mannies"—start letting loose devils in the world, faerie Magpie and her band of rough-and-tumble, cheroot-smoking crows must start hunting them down. The tale takes its time in unfolding, with lovely echoes of its literary antecedents from Tolkien on down. Magpie also learns it is she who must keep the dark from swallowing the world. She finds where the dragons, and her ancient heroine, Bellatrix, have gone, and she wakes an ancient djinni.The tapestry of the world needs reweaving, and a blond, tattooed princeling needs a way to remake his malformed wings. This all braids together into a radiant conclusion. Vibrant language overcomes a surfeit of telling rather than showing. 'Pie is one tough faerie, and the way is open for more tales about her to come. DeCandido, GraceAnne A.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Featuring both an uncommonly well-conceived setting and buckets of high-energy action, Taylor's debut tale...belongs at the top of everyone's fantasy must-read list. -- Kirkus, starred review

Taylor's debut fantasy...is a fresh take on a well-worn milieu, and the author's knack for faerie dialogue...makes for engaging escapism. -- Publisher's Weekly

Review
Belongs at the top of everyone’s fantasy must-read list. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Tremendous—a vivid adventure in a place both familiar and new, characters that made me laugh and cheer, and a truly frightening villain. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. —Shannon Hale, Newbery Honor Winner

Customer Reviews

Don't let the title fool you
I picked up this book for my daughter upon the recommendation of a friend (who in full disclosure, is married to the brother of the author's best friend). Figured I would look over a chapter or two to see if she could read it...and then hand it to her. Wrong. Once I got started, I was hooked. This book may be written for adolescent girls, but this 40 year old man couldn't put it down.

Which leads me to the title. As the father of an eight year old girl, I am well acquainted with cloying world of faeries. I wasn't ready to be impressed. As for this book...fuhgeddaboutit. Taylor's faeries are anything but sickly sweet. Instead, she's conjured up tough, resourceful critters who hunt devils and attack vultures 10 times their size. And the heroine, Magpie Windwitch, is the baddest of the bunch.

I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that the plot is wildly inventive, the characters are fascinating, and the dialogue is fabulous (The charactes speak in a sort of a punked-out pseudo-Gaelic). Simply wonderful.

Oh yeah. One final bonus. My kids aren't quite old enough to read the book themselves. Which means that I get to read it aloud to them all over again.

A Wondrous Tale
This is not a review per se, but more a bit of information. "Dreamdark: Blackbringer" is the paperback edition of "Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer", Laini Taylor's magical - and utterly delightful - first novel. I urge everyone to navigate over to that title and check out the reviews posted there.

Not Your Mother's Faeries
I don't think I've ever read a book about Faeries. Wizards, Djinn, Vampires, yes. Faeries, no. They just have this boring reputation of sitting by a river making things grow and didn't seem very interesting to me. Well, that's all changed now, who knew Faeries were so interesting?

I love to read books that approach magic in a way that is fresh and original, and this one does. It is a fully fleshed out world with history and fables and magical beings with different abilities and traits. And the plot is engaging - full of surprises and edge-of-your seat action. I highly recommend this book for both boys and girls who love fantasy.